the backend for the Blue Jackets. Promising prospects that were supposed to be building blocks, like JohnMoore and Anton Stralman, didn’t pan out in what felt like a revolving door of players.
Head coach Todd Richards has slammed a wedge into that door.
Jack Johnson and James Wisniewski are ready to kick off their fourth seasons as Blue Jackets regulars and Fedor Tyutin is readying for his seventh

Zherdev (2003, fourth).
Others didn't meet expectations before being traded. Jakub Voracek (2007, seventh) went to the Philadelphia Flyers, and JohnMoore (2009, 21st) and Derick Brassard (2006, sixth) were traded to the New York Rangers.
Some didn't make it because their hype exceeded their talent, but the Blue Jackets have been guilty of promoting players too quickly because they had no other

. Latvian goaltender Elvis Merzlikins leads the way with five appearances.
16: When Sonny Milano was selected with the 16th pick, he became the second-lowest first round draft selection by Columbus in franchise history - second only to Columbus’ 2009 first round selection of JohnMoore with the 21st overall pick.
18 years, 102 days: The average age of the group. Tyler Bird checks in at 17 years, 326

in a series of separate trades, moving back in the first round, out of the first round, and then back up to No. 21 overall to select defenseman JohnMoore from the USHL's Chicago Steel.
In each of those deals, Howson and Flynn consulted the value chart to determine whether the additional picks on the table held more total value base on what they had yielded in that 12-year window - which is essentially

are the things as a coach or a fan of the Blue Jackets that gets you really excited."
It's been a long time coming for a franchise known for first-round picks not panning out (see Gilbert Brule, Nikita Filatov, Alexandre Picard and Nikolai Zherdev) or traded before reaching their prime (Derick Brassard, JohnMoore, Rick Nash and Jakub Voracek).
The Blue Jackets have been patient but stern in developing

stick during the course of play.
7- Shots on goal for Rick Nash in his return to Nationwide Arena. He didn't record a point tonight, but had nine penalty minutes and was on the ice for 14:44.
8 - Players dressed against their former team tonight: five Rangers (Derek Dorsett, Derick Brassard, JohnMoore, Anton Stralman, Rick Nash) and three Blue Jackets (Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinsky, Fedor Tyutin

also has four current Ranger teammates - Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett, JohnMoore and Anton Stralman - who played alongside him in Columbus and all have spoken about what Nash meant to the franchise during his 10 years in Columbus.
Regardless of the fans’ reaction, Nash said his excitement won’t be dampened nor will his affection for the city that raised him as one of its own.
“I’ll have a lot